All posts tagged Penang

During the days when the spice trade flourished, the island of Penang in northern Malaysia was the first port of call for traders and seafarers from around the globe.

As these migrants gradually made the outpost their home, they incorporated local spices, such as lemongrass and galangal, into their customary dishes, giving birth to a fusion cuisine totally unique to Penang.

The result is a city made for non-stop eating. The Wall Street Journal went on a recent 24-hour feeding frenzy and shares with you our findings. Read More »

Heavy campaign-related spending by the ruling National Front coalition in the opposition stronghold state of Penang has put the incumbent Democratic Action Party on the defensive ahead of Malaysia’s general and state elections on May 5.

Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Penang is a key electoral battleground. The northwestern state is the third-largest contributor to the national gross domestic output after Selangor and Johor. More importantly, the unprecedented win by the opposition of Penang five years ago marked a watershed decline in the ruling coalition’s fortunes there. Penang’s 13 seats out of 222 total in the Parliament may not be hefty in numbers, but the opposition’s five-year ascendancy has enabled it to showcase the state as an example of its policies in action to the national voter. Read More »

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E-commerce sites and mobile apps are drawing on data they’ve collected from users to better understand how and when people shop during the Islamic holy month. Here’s a look at some of what they’ve discovered.

All that burning rubbish in Indonesia may be taking its toll, with nearly a quarter of people surveyed in a recent poll saying waste management was the most prominent environmental issue in the country.